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Questions & answers

Q Why do football linesmen never switch to the opposite touchline after half-time?

Mike Walker, via e-mail

A There is no law to prevent this — it is up to the individual referee as to which touchline his assistants run. The referee normally runs a diagonal line from the bottom right-hand corner to the top left, so his assistants usually take the ‘left-back touchline’ for the defending side. Most referees prefer to keep their assistants patrolling the same line in both halves, although they may ask their linesmen to swap touchlines in the second half, or perhaps switch to the far end of the same touchline.

C Gill, Liverpool

Q Has any city held all four major American sports titles at once, ie, the Stanley Cup, Super Bowl, World Series and NBA title?

Rob Derry, Swindon

A The closest to the mark is New York, which has three times held two trophies